NetSuite x Fashion PLM: How WFX’s ‘Built for NetSuite’ PLM Connector Works

The fashion industry operates at breakneck speed, with trends shifting almost overnight and collections needing to get from concept to market faster than ever. Staying competitive means embracing efficiency and accuracy at every stage—making integrated systems a mandate.  

Many fashion brands already use popular ERP solutions like NetSuite to manage inventory, orders, supply chains, finances, and customer relationships. However, without a seamless connection to a good Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution, critical design, development, and production activities can feel disconnected. The result? Fragmented data, inefficiencies, and lost opportunities.  

WFX and NetSuite solve this problem with a strategic connector that bridges the gap between these two essential systems, empowering fashion businesses to operate more smoothly. In this blog, we’ll dive into what the NetSuite x WFX Fashion PLM Connector is, how it works, and why it’s a transformative integration for fashion brands looking to boost efficiency. 

The NetSuite x WFX Fashion PLM Connector is an advanced integration designed to connect the WFX PLM system directly with the NetSuite ERP. This seamless integration ensures data flows automatically between both platforms, significantly reducing manual data entry and minimizing errors. 

WFX is the only fashion-specific PLM certified by NetSuite as a strategic cloud partner, and it is featured on the NetSuite App Store (called SuiteApp). This certification highlights WFX’s credibility and close alignment with NetSuite’s standards, making it the top choice for fashion brands seeking a trusted integration.  

Think of the connector as a digital bridge between your product development team and operational workflows. It ensures that key information—such as product details, materials, samples, and purchase orders—flows effortlessly between design and production, giving every department access to the same, up-to-date data. 

This integration is particularly powerful for fashion brands, as it centralizes the entire product lifecycle onto one platform, simplifying vendor collaboration, streamlining workflows, and improving communication across teams. 

The WFX Fashion PLM Connector works by creating a seamless link between the PLM and ERP systems, enabling automated and configurable data synchronization. Here’s how it works: 

• Data Mapping: You determine which fields in WFX need to map to NetSuite fields. This ensures information like product descriptions, materials, and colors are consistently transferred. 

• Automated Data Transfer: The connector automatically exports relevant data—including products, components, purchase orders, and samples—from WFX to NetSuite, based on predefined triggers or schedules. 

• Real-Time Synchronization: When new products are created in WFX, the connector instantly updates NetSuite. This means all critical product data, such as material availability or dimensions, is readily accessible in both systems for smooth inventory and order management.  

• Bidirectional Data Flow: The connector supports both push and pull of information between WFX and NetSuite. This means not only can WFX push product information into NetSuite, but also pull information like purchase orders from NetSuite back into WFX. This bidirectional capability allows for flexible workflows and better alignment across departments. 

• Error Handling & Logging: Built-in mechanisms capture errors and keep logs of every data transfer, providing transparency and easy troubleshooting if issues arise. 

In practice, this means no more manually copying data between different systems. A new product created in WFX is instantly synced to NetSuite, ensuring all your operational data is accurate and up to date. 

Additionally, different customers may choose when an item moves from WFX to NetSuite depending on their specific business model. Some prefer to transfer products only after they have commercial significance, while others sync all data regardless of its production status. This flexibility is crucial for avoiding clutter in NetSuite and optimizing operational efficiency.  

The WFX Fashion PLM Connector is ‘Built for NetSuite,’ which means it has been certified by NetSuite to meet the highest standards of integration, compatibility, and reliability. The connector was developed in close collaboration with NetSuite, ensuring it fits naturally into the NetSuite ecosystem and leverages NetSuite’s powerful capabilities.  

This certification also means that WFX continually invests in keeping the connector compatible with NetSuite’s latest updates. It’s not a one-time integration—it’s a constantly evolving solution designed to meet your brand’s growing needs.  

• Streamlined Operations: The connector automates the flow of data between WFX and NetSuite, eliminating redundant manual entries. This automation reduces errors, saves time, and frees up your team to focus on creative tasks rather than administrative work. 

• Data Accuracy: When data is manually transferred between systems, mistakes are bound to happen. With the WFX connector, data is synchronized automatically, ensuring that the information in both PLM and ERP is always consistent and up to date. This means fewer production delays and a more reliable supply chain. 

• Quicker Collaboration: Design, production, and purchasing teams all need to be on the same page. The connector ensures that all teams work with the same information, making collaboration easier and faster—from creating samples to managing vendor relationships. 

• Scalability: As your brand grows, the connector scales with you. It’s designed to handle increasing volumes of data and complex workflows, making it suitable for both emerging labels and established global fashion brands. 

• Cost Reduction: By automating routine processes and reducing errors, the connector helps minimize costs associated with data management. It also allows teams to focus on core competencies—design, development, and sales—leading to better overall business outcomes. 

• Customer Satisfaction: Timely production and reliable deliveries are crucial for maintaining customer loyalty. By keeping all systems in sync and reducing lead times, the connector helps brands meet customer expectations more consistently, enhancing satisfaction.

Some of the world’s leading fashion brands—including Skims, Everlane, Forever New, OAK + FORT, Cult Gaia, gorjana, Vermont Teddy Bear and many more—have already benefited from the WFX PLM x NetSuite Connector.  

Here are a couple of examples of how our clients use the connector: 

• Forever New: The Australian brand keeps all product data within WFX until items are used in a purchase order (PO). Once a PO is created, the WFX connector automatically exports those items into NetSuite, ensuring a streamlined process for production tracking and vendor collaboration.  

• Simply Noelle: For this American brand, WFX and NetSuite stay in sync regardless of whether products are adopted by the development team. As soon as items are created in WFX, they are exported to NetSuite, helping the company keep both systems updated in real-time, allowing for flexible decision-making.  

Hear from actual customers who have benefitted from the WFX-NetSuite Connector:  

• Vermont Teddy Bear: According to Angela Lavalla, Director of Product Development, “We wouldn’t be able to grow as much without WFX. WFX’s cloud-based tech packs and integration with NetSuite have fostered accountability and collaboration across the board.” 

• Feetures: Megan Wise, Senior Product Manager, highlighted that “WFX has improved our efficiency in sample requests and factory communication. With NetSuite integration, the entire process has become seamless, eliminating delays.” 

• Noelle LLC (Simply Noelle): “With WFX’s integration with NetSuite, we centralized all our product data and streamlined communication across departments,” shared Cole Mancini, Product Development Manager.  

The NetSuite x WFX Fashion PLM Connector is an essential integration for fashion brands looking to simplify their operations, boost efficiency, and stay ahead of industry demands. It closes the gap between product development and manufacturing management, transforming how fashion brands produce their collections and enabling them to deliver products with speed and precision. 

Without this connector, brands face the burden of duplicating data entry across systems, resulting in wasted time, potential errors, and inefficiencies. The WFX connector removes these hurdles, offering an integrated, reliable, and scalable solution for modern fashion brands. 

Ready to see the connector in action? Schedule a demo with WFX today and discover how it can streamline your processes and transform your business operations.